bereave

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /bɪˈriv/ UK /bɪˈriːv/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like believe /l/ vs /r/ Sounds like beleave /l/ vs /r/

verb

Meanings

1

verb
to deprive of someone or something, especially by death

The war bereaved her of both sons.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to deprive of someone or... deprive dispossess strip divest rob

Opposites

endow provide bestow

Word family

Forms bereavedbereavesbereaving

Derived forms bereavementbereavedbereaver

Related forms reave bereft

Etymology

From Old English berēafian ('to deprive, rob'), from be- + rēafian ('to rob, plunder'), from Proto-Germanic *raubōną.

berēafian Old English *raubōną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

# bereave

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** bɪˈriv
**IPA (UK):** bɪˈriːv

## Meanings
1. to deprive of someone or something, especially by death

## Examples
- The war bereaved her of both sons.

## Synonyms
- deprive
- dispossess
- strip
- divest
- rob

## Antonyms
- endow
- provide
- bestow

## Derived Forms
- bereavement
- bereaved
- bereaver

## Related Forms
- reave
- bereft

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: berēafian
- Root: *raubōną

## Etymology
From Old English berēafian ('to deprive, rob'), from be- + rēafian ('to rob, plunder'), from Proto-Germanic *raubōną.

## AI Etymology
Bereave is from Old English berēafian ('to deprive, rob'), from be- + rēafian ('to rob, plunder'), from Proto-Germanic *raubōną. Important recorded forms include berēafian (Old English) and *raubōną (Proto-Germanic). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers to deprive of someone or something, especially by death. The wider family includes derived forms such as bereavement, bereaved, and bereaver and related words such as reave and bereft.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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bereave

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